Timaya, who is also known as the ‘Eberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa’ is a talented, Nigerian rapper and singer. He is the founder of Dem Mama record label. Timaya has won several awards and has debuted six albums thus far.
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Timaya Background
Timaya’s real names are Enitimi Alfred Odom. He was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on the 15th of August 1980 as the last of the fifteen children of his parents. His father was a banker while his mother was a trader and they all lived in Agip Estate, Port Harcourt.
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He went to the Assemblies of God Nursery and Primary School for his pre-primary and primary education Afterwards, he attended secondary school at Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt. While in school, Timaya often used to break house rules to attend late-night music concerts. His mother made him follow his elder brother and sister to Lagos before he finished his secondary school in Port Harcourt. When he came to Lagos, he gained admission into Ikeja Grammar School, Lagos.
After secondary school, Timaya went back to Port Harcourt to study Banking and Finance in the university, but he eventually dropped out when he failed his first semester exams.
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Timaya Career
Timaya returned to Lagos to explore, and harness the passion he had for music. So, he joined Idris Abdulkareem’s hip hop group as a backup singer.
Timaya worked with Idris for three years before he left to focus on his solo career. He started by collaborating with other up-and-coming singers. His first cameo appearance was in an unreleased music video by UDX, a Lagos-based rap group.
Eventually, he met Obaksolo; a producer he met in Mafoluko, Oshodi. It was Obaksolo who finally helped him produce his first hit record titled ‘Dem Mama’ after he heard him sing the acapella version of the song.
Speaking about “Dem Mama”, Timaya said it is “a musical description of how Odi; a riverside community in Niger Delta was destroyed”. His boldness in telling the story earned him street credibility.
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Timaya’s Assets And Children.
Timaya attends Living Faith Church aka Winners Chapel. He is blessed with three lovely children, a boy and two girls. He lives in the luxurious mansion he built at Lekki, Lagos. His fleet of exotic and expensive cars is a reflection of how God has blessed him through his music. Some of his cars are a Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG, Range Rover Sport 2013, Range Rover Sport 2016, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Lexus SUV 2015. Asides the cars and his house, Timaya has other assets, especially landed properties.
Timaya Albums
- True Story – 2007
- Gift and Grace – 2008
- De Rebirth – 2010
- LLNP Long Life N Prosperity – 2011
- Upgrade – 2012
- Epiphany – 2014
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Selected Singles of Timaya
- Ekoloma Demba (Epiphany) – 2014
- Bow Down (Epiphany) – 2014
- Gbagam (Epiphany) – 2014
- Lai Lai (Epiphany) – 2014
- Sanko (Single) – 2014
- Ukwu (Single) – 2014
- I concur (Single Produced by Killertunes) – 2015
- Amayanabo (Single) – 2015
- Some more (Single) – 2015
- I like the way (Single) – 2016
- Bang Bang (Single) – 2016
- Money featuring Flavour (Single) – 2016
- 2 Stoopid (Single) – 2019
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Timaya’s Endorsements.
IIFWP Peace Ambassador.
The Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP) appointed Timaya as a Peace Ambassador in 2011. Dr Hak Ja Haan Moon, one of the co-founders of the IIFWP, said they made him a peace ambassador because his life is an ideal example of those who live selflessly for the sake of others. He further said that Timaya represents those who dedicate themselves to practices that promote the founding ideals of the IIFWP.
Timaya as Glo Brand Ambassador.
Glo appointed Timaya as its brand ambassador in October 2016. The company chose him to be the face of the brand because of his successful music career. Also, for inspiring millions of Nigerian youths, especially those in the South-South part of the country, where he is popularly known as the ‘Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa.’
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Timaya’s Quotes.
“Whatever I want to do, I go all out to do it… anything you enjoy, you want to do it and you should do it with all joy.”
“Your tongue is your weapon, either you use it right or you use it wrongly, it is your life and nobody would help you believe.”
“I speak my life into existence; there is power in the tongue. Always work on yourself, tell yourself every day that things could be bad right now, but it’s just a phase.”
“If you can’t see it, you can’t be it; If you can’t believe it, you can’t achieve it. It’s all about you.”
“You cannot break a man that has a foundation, trust the process, trust God and chill.”
“There’s nothing promising for anybody, if I don’t work, then I might go back to being a plantain seller or even worse.”
“The process has a lot to do with patience, it’s better to be original and stick to you…”
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Awards and Recognitions of Timaya
- ‘True Story’ won the Album of the Year award at the Nigeria music awards in 2008.
- Best Reggae/Dancehall Album, ‘True Story’ at the Headies 2008.
- ‘Gift and Grace’ won the Best Reggae/Dancehall Album at the Headies 2009.
- ‘Good or Bad’ won the Best Collaboration (with J. Martins and P-Square) at the Headies 2009.
- Nominated for the Artiste of the Year at the Headies 2009.
- ‘Kokoroko’ (with Kefee) won the Best Collaboration at the Headies 2010.
- ‘Plantain Boy’ won the Best Afro-Dancehall song at the Afrotainment Online African Music Awards in 2011.
- Nominated for the Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards in 2014.
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Timaya’s Net Worth
Judging from Timaya’s fleet of exotic cars and his luxurious mansion worth millions, it cannot be argued that Timaya is worth millions of Naira. Although there is no precise information of his net worth, naijauto.com estimated his net worth at $8 million.
Life Lessons From Timaya’s Story.
- Believe in your dreams, do not ever give up, keep working hard. Your turn would definitely come.
- Be bold enough to stand for whatever you believe; your boldness and courage might lead to your breakthrough.
- Don’t settle for less, don’t allow life’s circumstances hinder you from harnessing and utilizing your full potential.
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Photo credit: @timayatimaya (Instagram)
